There's a lot that can go wrong when you try to portray
nihilism (the belief, in feeling or otherwise, in nothing) on film.
In some cases, it transforms into a simple case of a sociopath trying
to manipulate those with too much empathy (TV's Hannibal). In others,
its played for a few forced laughs for the sake of a bad stoner
comedy (The Big Lebowski). Or, in the case of Corey Finley's debut
thriller Thoroughbreds, it plays with the trope of a buddy comedy
before asking the ultimate uncomfortable question: what happens when
a nihilist meets her soul mate in the form of a ticking time bomb?
Let me explain something to everyone who might have
seen the trailer and developed some premature ideas about the plot:
this movie isn't for everyone. The humor is hit or miss, Anton
Yelchin (in his final role) is kind of pointless and has little of
substance to do here, the actual motives behind what Amanda (Olivia
Cooke) and Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy) are trying to do border more on
preservation of a beneficial status quo than anything resembling
nobility and, in all honesty, if you're here to see two teenage girls
commit a horrendous and violent act, know that anything with actual
violence happens off-screen. This is an indie thriller at heart,
preferring to let the audience use their imaginations when it comes
to actual heinous acts being committed.
Still with me? Good. The movie, despite being
“different” in every sense of the word, is also freaking awesome
if you have the stomach for what it implies. Cooke is both terrifying
and disarming as a teenage girl with sociopathic tendencies and weird
proclivities about what she might have done to a horse. Taylor-Joy is
unsettling as a spoiled princess whose world of privilege and freedom
is crumbling under the weight of her pompous stepfather (Paul Sparks)
whose only real sin is the ability to call her on her own
selfishness. Throw in some great cinematography and a complimentary
score that coats the luxurious setting in a small film of
uncomfortable sleaze and you have a dark comedy/thriller with a twist
of the ages. It wants you to look away despite not having much to
actually show you.
As for watching it, have any long distance travel plans
this weekend? Being decidedly of the indie category and suffering
both from a.) a first-time director and b.) being the last film of a
dead (and only vaguely recognized) actor hurts this movie in the long
run and, also due to the behemoth that is Disney, you're more likely
to find twelve showings of A Wrinkle in Time (which is awful by the
way) before you find this one on a single screen. Feeling dedicated
regardless because you don't want to sit through a terrible movie
that will only be remembered for its obnoxiously progressive message?
Seek this one out if you dare! It's totally worth it.
Corey Finley shows off his directorial debut with
Thoroughbreds, a vaguely Hitchcockian take on Heathers where murder
is in the air and its only a matter of time before all the pent up
rage comes to a bloody head. Recently released from psychiatric
treatment following a horse murder (seriously), nihilist Amanda
(Cooke) reconnects with her former best friend Lily (Taylor-Joy) and,
realizing that Lily is slowing unraveling while under the thumb of
her overly demanding stepfather, offers to help kill him. Caught in
the web is Tim (Yelchin), a drug peddler and wannabe kingpin whose
ambition far outweighs his talents and is inadvertently blackmailed
into the plot out of fear of a potential third strike. When the plan
becomes unraveled, Lily is forced into desperate measures to ensure
her own continued lifestyle. Basically, a spoiled, rich girl doesn't
get what she wants and really bad things happen. I promise you'll
never hear a rowing machine the same way again.
My score: 7/10. Honestly, why did Disney think it would
be a good idea to take A Wrinkle in Time, an at-best forgettable
book, and turn it into a movie that no fan would have asked for. And
why did they put Ava DuVernay, a terrible director balanced by a
somewhat decent filmmaker, in the director's chair? Isn't that a
mixture destined for failure?
No comments:
Post a Comment